‘NCIS: Sydney’ Returns, ‘Severance’ Field Trip, Critics Choice Awards, ‘Lion King’ at the Hollywood Bowl

NCIS: Sydney

The NCIS franchise goes back Down Under for a second season of the international spinoff, picking up from the Season 1 cliffhanger with NCIS Special Agent in Charge Mackey (Olivia Swann) and Australia Federal Police officer Dempsey (Todd Lasance) both facing consequences for letting the rogue assassin known as Ana Nimus (Georgina Haig) get away in a swap to save Dempsey’s kidnapped son. With Special Agent DeShawn Jackson (Sean Sagar) reluctantly supervising the local HQ, the search continues for Nimus while the agents investigate her connection to Dempsey’s boss, Col. Rankin (Lewis Fitz-Gerald).

Severance

Didn’t think this cult favorite could get any trippier? Keep watching. In a pivotal episode directed by Ben Stiller, the Kier Eagan mythology that undergirds Lumon Industries deepens when the MDR team engages in something called an ORTBO (“Outdoor Retreat and Team Building Exercise”). A little frigid fresh air couldn’t hurt these severed desk jockeys, right? But consider Milchick’s (Tramell Tillman) warning: “Stray not from Kier’s path lest you roil nature’s wrath.” Something tells me the team will never be quite the same after this eventful outing.

Critics Choice Awards

The awards circuit picks up steam with the twice-delayed ceremony honoring movies and television. (Full disclosure: I sit on several nominating committees for the TV awards.) Chelsea Handler hosts from Santa Monica’s Barker Hanger, with FX’s awards darling Shogun leading the TV field with six nominations, and tying with four each, Abbott Elementary, Disclaimer, Hacks, The Diplomat, The Penguin, and What We Do in the Shadows. On the movie side, Conclave and Wicked lead with 11 nominations each.

The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl

Marking the 30th anniversary of the Oscar-winning animated film that became a Tony-winning stage phenomenon, a lavish concert special from the iconic Hollywood Bowl brings together original voice actors from the 1994 movie with cast members from the Broadway production. With dazzling costumes and projections, this one-of-a-kind performance features Jeremy Irons (Scar), Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella (Timon and Pumbaa), Billy Eichner (from the 2019 version), stage alums Heather Headley and Bradley Gibson, with Lebo M, North West, and Jennifer Hudson bringing the open-air house down with a rendition of “Circle of Life.”

Dexter: Original Sin

There’s a blood drive at the Miami Police precinct in support of wounded detective Bobby Watt (Reno Wilson), but the bloodlust that drives young Dexter Morgan (Patrick Gibson) is what occupies most of the prequel’s penultimate episode. Dexter is convinced that one of his bosses deserves to be the next fiend on his murder slab, even if his dad Harry (Christian Slater) disagrees, but Harry is busy trying to keep Dexter from learning that his brother Brian (Roby Attal), who was separated from his sibling in childhood after the trauma of their mother’s murder, may be the serial killer the department has been hunting. The episode airs Sunday on Showtime.

INSIDE FRIDAY TV:

• Happy’s Place (8/7c, NBC): Justina Machado from the terrific One Day at a Time remake guest-stars as Isabella’s (Belissa Escobedo) mother, Maritza, who’s got a beef with Bobbie (Reba McEntire). Followed by the Season 3 finale of Lopez vs. Lopez (8:30/7:30c).
• RuPaul’s Drag Race (8/7c, MTV): Hunter Schafer and stylist Law Roach are guest judges as the queens show off fishy looks in a display of ocean-inspired fabulosity.
• Love After Lockup: Crime Story (8/7c, We TV): Cast members reflect on their lives before prison, and what led them there in a limited-series spinoff.
• Ready to Love (8/7c, OWN): A new season of the hit dating show introduces 10 singles (10 more arrive next week) attending a mixer in Philadelphia and hoping to make romantic connections.
• The Couple Next Door (9/8c, Starz): More dark secrets spill out in this steamy suburban psychosexual drama following the neighboring couples’ spa getaway. Evie (Eleanor Tomlinson) can’t stop thinking about Danny (Sam Heughan), but he’s preoccupied with the consequences of his dangerous moonlighting gig while wife Becca (Jessica De Gouw) is persona non grata after her sordid secrets are exposed online.
• Fire Country (9/8c, CBS): The Leone guys’ family fishing trip is interrupted by a daring rescue attempt, while back at Station 42, Sharon (Diane Farr) deals with a baby left for the first responders. Followed by S.W.A.T. (10/9c), with the unit responding to a hostage crisis.
• True Crime Watch: On Dateline NBC (9/8c), Josh Mankiewicz reports on the investigation into the 2023 murder of San Francisco tech entrepreneur Bob Lee, which led to the conviction of IT consultant Nima Momeni.
• Luther: Never Too Much (9/8c, OWN): Oprah Winfrey introduces the network premiere of the biographical documentary that premiered earlier this year on CNN.
• NFL Icons (10/9c, MGM+): The season finale profiles Gale Sayers (1943-2020), whose brief but shining career with the Chicago Bears made him the youngest person ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The episode also recalls his friendship with teammate Brian Piccolo, whose death from cancer inspired a memoir and the acclaimed TV movie Brian’s Song.
• We Live in Time (streaming on Max): The poignant romantic drama starring Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh makes its streaming debut and premieres on HBO Saturday at 8/7c.
• Piece by Piece (streaming on Peacock): The LEGO-animated biopic profiling Pharrell Williams is now available for streaming.